A Series Of Super Events
by sherlocklayton
Summary: Title taken from Lemony Snicket. Do not own it. AU because: Harrison Wells is Reverse Flash (Wells is the real Wells and Reverse Flash is a superhero like the Flash), Iris knows Barry is the Flash but Eddie was killed by a metahuman, Linda and Patty are not in the story, Ronnie/Dr Stein are still Firestorm, and the singularity thing hasn't happened... Rated T because of violence
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**

 _"Where is he?" Barry demanded through his radio as he sped through the streets of Central City in pursuit of Jim Rider, a new metahuman who was able to control metal._

 _"About seven blocks to your left," replied Caitlyn Snow's voice._

 _Barry turned left immediately._

 _"We've got surveillance on him," Doctor Harrison Wells said. "He seems to be taking out his anger on a lamppost."_

 _"A lamppost?" Barry almost stopped running out of sudden surprise. "That's all?"_

 _"Well, he is flinging it all over the street._

 _"That makes more sense," admitted Barry._

 _Now a new voice sounded, this one sounding more excited than worried. "He actually ripped it out of the ground! And he's throwing it around like it's a toy! How cool is that?"_

 _"Cisco, he's using it to hurt innocent people," Caitlyn pointed out._

 _"I know," Cisco's voice said defensively. "That doesn't mean I can't admire the powers."_

 _"Guys," Barry interrupted. "Where is he?"_

 _He had stopped running in the middle of a square. A bent and mangled lamppost lay across the cobbled stones with several half-amused onlookers examining it._

 _"The tracker still shows he's there," said Caitlyn, sounding puzzled. "Maybe-"_

 _She broke off as a crash sounded. Barry immediately heard a scream._

 _"Caitlyn!" Barry shouted._

 _"Cisco!" screamed Caitlyn._

 _"What's happening?" Barry demanded._

 _Silence._

 _"Guys!"_

 _"B-Barry!" gasped Caitlyn's voice._

 _"Oh thank god," breathed Barry with relief. "What happened?"_

 _"A large piece of metal crashed through the roof!" Caitlyn sobbed. "It was being controlled by Rider and it snatched Cisco!"_

 _"What!" gasped Barry. "Are you and Doctor Wells okay? Hang on, I'll come back."_

 _He was about to start out running when Caitlyn said hurriedly, "No, no, everything's okay!"_

 _Barry set off running anyway, but to look for Rider and Cisco._

 _"Is there something you're not telling me?" Barry asked in a manner that said he wanted an honest answer._

 _Caitlyn sighed. "When the roof caved in, we did get a bit hurt. My arm is feeling a bit numb and Doctor Wells is unconscious but he's fine."_

 _Barry stopped running. "I've found Rider."_

 _"How do you know?" Caitlyn asked urgently. "Can you see him?"_

 _Barry glanced up at the roof of the Central City Police Station where Rider and the piece of metal that held Cisco both were._

 _"I think I can," Barry said dryly to Caitlyn._

 _He shot up to the roof._

 _"Well hello Flash," Rider said as if they were just meeting in a cafe. "Or should I say: Barry Allen?"_

 _Barry gasped._

 _"It wasn't me," choked Cisco immediately. "I swear I didn't tell him!" Barry knew he was thinking about the time when Leonard "Captain Cold" Snart had tortured Dante—Cisco's brother—until Cisco had revealed the Flash's real name._

 _Barry was still trying to get his head round what had just happened, when Rider chuckled. "He's telling the truth. It was someone else who gave me your name."_

 _"Who?" Barry demanded._

 _"Your Doctor Harrison Wells," grinned Rider._

 _Barry hadn't thought he could be any more shocked. He was wrong._

 _"Oh he didn't do it on purpose," said Rider, still grinning. "I can't just control metal. I have a sort of metal telepathy."_

 _"So when you attacked Star Labs..." Barry mused._

 _"That's right," smirked Rider. "Wells shouted, "contact Barry!" or something like that. I just put two and two together."_

 _"That was quite a gamble," Barry said quietly. "Attacking Star Labs—and risking capture—just to maybe get my name and perhaps catch me off-guard with it."_

 _"Yes, attacking Star Labs was a gamble," agreed Rider. Then his evil grin grew wider. "But a gamble as to whether both Wells and the girl would die or just one."_

 _"You maniac!" Barry screamed at him._

 _If possible, Rider's grin became even bigger. "Did you know that Wells launched himself out of his wheelchair to save the girl from a falling piece of debris?"_

 _Barry was speechless by this point._

 _"He really cares about all of you. Now..."_

 _Rider stuck out his arm and the piece of metal carrying Cisco stuck out over the edge of the roof. It was a hard impact if he fell._

 _"Let Cisco go," demanded Barry._

 _Rider laughed. "No I don't think I will," he said. "Unless, of course, you mean..."_

 _He moved his hand slightly and the piece of metal opened slightly. Cisco squeaked Barry's name._

 _"No," shouted Barry. "That's not what I meant."_

 _"Then take off your mask," said Rider. "It won't be in front of anyone except me. And it's the only way to ensure your friend here's safety."_

 _Barry considered this._

 _"Don't do it Barry!" shrieked Cisco. "It can't be that simple!"_

 _"Quiet!" Rider snapped at him._

 _To get it over with, Barry ripped off his mask to reveal his face. Rider was staring at him like he had just received the Christmas present he had always wanted._

 _"At last, the Flash," breathed Rider._

 _"Now your end of the bargain," Barry said._

 _Rider nodded dutifully and waved his hand. The piece of metal flew over to the roof and deposited Cisco on the ground. Barry rushed over to him._

 _"Are you okay?" he asked as he helped his friend up._

 _Cisco nodded shakily. "I'm okay. Caitlyn and Doctor Wells?"_

 _"They're fine," Barry reassured him._

 _Barry hugged Cisco, with the latter facing Rider. Unbeknownst to Barry, Rider had redirected the piece of metal to shoot straight towards him. Cisco gasped and shoved Barry out of the way just in time. As Barry crashed to the floor, the piece of metal impaled Cisco through the chest._

 _Barry stared in shock as his friend crashed to the floor with the piece of metal sticking out of his chest. Rider cackled and flew away._

 _Barry scrambled to his feet only to drop back to his knees at Cisco's side. His friend's face was very pale and he was completely still. Barry quickly yanked the metal shard out of Cisco's body and stemmed the flow of blood from the hole. Barry quickly felt for a pulse but he couldn't feel one._

 _"Cisco!" Barry's anguished scream, a long and drawn-out sound, echoed through the wet night air in Central City._


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 1**

"Barry."

Barry jerked out of his sleep and found himself looking into the face of his adopted father, Joe West. Barry's skin was wet and sticky with sweat, and he felt that he was breathing heavily. Barry closed his eyes again and wiped his forehead.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, concerned.

"Fine. Joe, I'm fine."

"You were thrashing about in your sleep," Joe added doubtfully. "You shouted something but I was downstairs and I didn't hear precisely what it was."

Barry knew. _"Cisco!"_

"I was dreaming…" Barry pretended to try to remember, but he knew exactly what he had been dreaming about.

"Barry." Joe knelt down beside Barry's bed. "The hospital phoned a few minutes ago. They said you can see Cisco now."

"What?" Barry struggled out of the covers of his bed and rushed to his wardrobe to get dressed. For moral support, he wore the _Star Labs_ sweatshirt that Harrison Wells had given him after he had been struck by lightning. "Thanks. I'll go now."

"Barry."

"Okay I'm going now," Barry said quickly as he sped to the front door

"Barry," Joe said for the fourth time, walking down the stairs. "You're not wearing any pants."

Barry looked down at himself. It was true. Beyond the bottom of his sweatshirt was the grey of his underwear and then pink skin down his legs. "Oh," was all Barry could think of to say.

Before Joe could even blink twice, Barry vibrated and now had a pair of black trousers on. "Okay I'm going now," Barry said again. "Can I borrow your car?"

"No," Joe said firmly. "Because I'm coming with you."

Barry didn't argue. He was too worried about his best friend and too anxious to leave.

Less than ten minutes later, Joe was talking to the receptionist of Central City Hospital while Barry anxiously paced the waiting room.

Barry had to use all of his concentration not to use his super-speed to race into Cisco's ward when the nurse told them they could see him now.

Barry's heart broke into a million pieces when he saw the pale face of his best friend lying on the hospital bed. Cisco's eyes were closed but he looked peaceful, like he was just asleep in his own bed at home.

"How is he?" Joe asked the grim-faced doctor who had come in with them.

"He was lucky. The knife missed the vitals."

The story they had given to the hospital was that Cisco had been attacked with a knife in the street, and that he had been stabbed before Barry could get to him which, in a way, wasn't completely a lie.

"Surgery today was successful," continued the doctor. "Unfortunately, we have to keep him in an induced coma until the effects of the surgery wear off."

Barry's head whipped up to face the doctor. "What? How long could that take?"

"A week or so," the doctor replied. "Maybe longer."

"Can you drop me at Star Labs?" Barry asked on the way home.

"Sure," Joe answered. He looked sideways at his adoptive son. "Are you okay?"

Barry chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, I'm great. I failed to save my best friend. I wasn't fast enough to prevent my best friend from getting hurt. Surely you can see I'm doing great."

"Barry," Joe said, interrupting his adoptive son's rant. "From what you've told me, _Cisco_ saved _you,_ not the other way round."

"He shouldn't have done that," Barry said. "I have rapid healing."

"No kidding," Joe said sarcastically.

At that moment, the car drew up outside Star Labs, preventing the discussion from going further. Barry got out the car, muttering a "thanks" to Joe, before heading inside.

He found Caitlyn Snow and Harrison Wells in the Cortex. Harrison was lying propped up on the bed where Barry always lay to recover from any injury he had which was caused by a metahuman. Caitlyn was cleaning up a nasty-looking cut on Harrison's head with an antibacterial swab.

"Caitlyn, you know I have rapid regeneration like Barry, right?" Harrison was saying as Barry came in.

"Just let me do this," Caitlyn said quietly. "Please."

Harrison relented.

When they noticed Barry, Caitlyn put the swab down and gave him a hug. "Did you see Cisco?" she asked worriedly.

Barry relayed what the doctor had said.

"So Cisco will be in a coma for the next week or so?" Harrison swung his legs over the side of the bed. "I want to see him."

As he began to rise himself off the bed, Caitlyn placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him back down. "You stay there," she said, firm but not unkind. "You need to rest."

"I'll have plenty of time to rest when I'm dead," Harrison said, swiping her hand off his shoulder and standing up properly.

"Harrison-" Caitlyn began.

"Guys," Barry interrupted. "I don't think you see the bigger picture here."

"Rider's on the loose and more dangerous than ever now that he knows who the Flash really is," said Harrison irritably. "Don't you think we know that better than anyone?"

Barry hung his head for a brief moment. "Yeah I know. I'm sorry."

"Both of you get over it!" Caitlyn snapped. "We just have to make the best of a bad situation. Until Cisco is better, we're all going to rest. Barry, you forget about everything metahuman for a while. Go to dinner with Iris or something. Harrison, you're staying right here until I say you can go."

Barry and Harrison looked at each other for a while. "It seems I've been put under house arrest for now," Harrison said finally. "Go have fun, Barry."

"How can I-?" Barry started, before Caitlyn silenced him with a look.

Harrison's lips twitched. "Doctor's orders," he said.

Barry heaved a sigh, though the idea of just going out to a nice dinner with Iris was starting to really appeal to him.

That was how, a few hours later, Barry found himself at a restaurant with Iris.

"But then Mason told me he doesn't think my story is good enough for the paper," Iris was saying.

"Mason who?" Barry asked absent-mindedly. He wasn't thinking properly; he was mainly thinking about Cisco, despite what Caitlyn told him to do.

""Mason who?"?" Iris repeated incredulously. "Mason Bridge! You know, my "handler"?"

Barry didn't answer.

"Barry!" Iris snapped, getting impatient.

Barry jerked out of his thoughts so hard he nearly fell off his chair.

"Why aren't you listening to me?" Iris snapped at him.

"I'm sorry Iris," he said. "It's just…with Cisco and everything going on…I'm finding it hard to concentrate."

Iris's face softened. "I heard about that. I'm sorry. How is he?"

"I saw him in hospital," Barry replied.

He reported on what the Doctor had said.

Iris became solemn. "I'm sorry. It must be hard for you."

"Yeah." Barry hung his head.

Just then, Barry's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. Caitlyn. He turned away from Iris and answered it. "Cait?"

Caitlyn's worried voice filled Barry's ear. "Barry, Harrison is gone! One minute he was there, the next he wasn't! I don't know where he is!"

"Have you called him?" Barry asked, unable to keep the concern out of his own voice.

"Yes but he isn't answering!" Caitlyn replied. "I briefly considered he'd gone to the hospital to see Cisco…"

"But?" Barry knew there must be a "but".

"…but his phone was fully charged when he left Star Labs and he either would've called or answered his phone. Besides, if he was just going to see Cisco, he wouldn't have left without telling me."

"True," Barry admitted. "You think something's happened?"

Barry turned his head back and saw Iris watching him worriedly. He frowned and shook his head at her, and almost missed what Caitlyn said next.

"Yes, I think something's happened to him!" Caitlyn snapped. "I'm worried, okay? Can you come to Star Labs so we can try and find him?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there."

Barry hung up and turned back to Iris. "Harrison's missing," he told her. "I have to go find him."

"I hope you do," Iris said, placing her hand on Barry's.

Barry flashed (no pun intended) a brief smile at her, before speeding off, hoping against all hopes that Harrison was all right.


End file.
